A Roundup of (Free + Paid) Agriculture Resources From Green and Growing
You might have noticed that back in July the G&G team took some time away from our Zoom Squares and traveled to the Bayou for our yearly retreat.
We did our normal routine of fun including some color analysis with our good friend Bri, some much-needed thrifting, and learning Wingspan. And then we got down to BUSINESS.
This included going through EVERY OFFER we have in the G&G world and deciding if we continue offering it, if it needs a revamp, or to take it off the table.
We don’t just willy-nilly decide these things, don’t worry. We take your feedback into account, survey responses, and conversations we have on socials and in person with you! One of the things we decided was time for a MAJOR revamp was the resources we offer for agriculture teachers.
If you have been around for awhileeee, you might have purchased some resources on Teachers Pay Teachers and a couple of years ago we took all those down to focus more on Germinate Conference and resources.
And let’s be honest, we went hard on Germinate and it is the shining star of the G&G world. We love her, you love her, and she is here to stay with even some new team members at the helm stewarding her toward the next conference in July 2025.
But, those resources had a moment and then we kind of treated them like the dust bunnies behind the couch. They are there just waiting to be noticed.
And that just wasn’t good enough for us anymore. So we committed to adding MORE resources to the library for you this school year. And since we are shedding light on these resources, might as well give you a deep dive so you know what is waiting for you to download and utilize.
Resources for Agriculture Teachers
Free Resources
Downloadable Resources
Need a quick resource? We have you covered. Frequently requested resources live on the G&G takeaway library for you to use, edit, and change to your liking. These resources are designed for you to grab and go! Here are some examples you will see when you venture over to the digital stacks of the library.
Examples:
Holiday: Veterans Day is right around the corner. Did you know FFA has had connections to veterans in the past? Students can complete this web search to learn more about Veterans Day.
FFA: Raise your hand if you are headed to Indy for the Convention this year (raises hand). Raise your hand if you are a little nervy about letting teenagers loose for hours in the Expo (raises hand with sweaty palms). We get it. That’s why we created a simple Convention Scavenger Hunt for you to print and use with your kiddos this year!
Classroom: Need a new way for students to communicate their gained knowledge in a unit? Are you just OVER multiple-choice tests? The kids probably are too! Hannah created an awesome resource with everything you need to take those summative assignments from pencil tip breaking scantrons to hearing your students voice their learnings with a podcast.
SAE: We loveee when we can maximize our time with our students. One way we have done this is with Teacher SAE Conferences. This resource is a simple 3 touch base throughout the year/semester with your student to be done in class. We love the combination of this with the SAE Folder routine we learned from Jacklyn Bond.
Other Resources
Blog
If you are reading this, you have already found the crown jewel of the past few months. So happy you found this little corner of the internet. We decided last year to double down on blogging so the valuable ideas, inspiration, and content we share on socials are immortalized in a searchable format for you.
So the next time you think “Man I thought I saw an idea about how to start delegating tasks” you can find it easily on the blog. Feel free to binge-read during your 21-minute lunch breaks or the next time you have hall duty during state testing.
Podcast
The G&G podcast provided weekly episodes to connect, educate, and encourage Agriculture teachers across the country for over 3 years. While we are not updating the podcast regularly now, we have TONS of valuable content for you to binge. We also suggest checking out the Here by the Owl Podcast for awesome agriculture teacher content!
Gazette
On the first of every month imagine the G&G team pedaling down your street and slinging the newest, freshest agriculture teacher-only newspaper to your doorstep.
From our latest obsessions to news from nationals, we gather up all the ideas, resources, and more via the monthly Gazette. Join the newsletter here and don’t miss another month of fun sent straight to your inbox!
Social Media
We highlight awesome ideas from teachers on Instagram! If you are known to scroll, make sure you follow Green & Growing so you can get something out of that scroll! You will see inspiration as well as classroom resource highlights from ag teachers across the nation weekly.
Paid Resources
Germinate Conference is Green & Growing Education’s signature professional development conference. It’s designed as a virtual conference so you can connect teachers from across the country without worrying about time or money. Since 2019 Germinate has brought together over 3,500+ teachers for a one-of-a-kind experience. Germinate is coming back July 1-3 2025 and we cannot wait to welcome you! If you are wanting to step out behind the screen and serve as a speaker this year, applications are OPEN.
Starter Packs
Looking for some more immediate help in one of the 3-circle model categories? We’ve gathered some of the most impactful sessions from past Germinate conferences to create a pack of 5-6 sessions to help you in your area of choosing. Check out an SAE, FFA, or Intro to Ag starter pack here!
Germinate Hall of Fame Sessions
Maybe you’ve heard of some of the rockstar sessions from past years of the Germinate Virtual Conference. Well now you can access those sessions and their awesome takeaways by purchasing single-sessions at the Germinate Hall of Fame. Sessions like Review Activities for ANY class, Parliamentary Procedure Deep Dive and how to finally manage your Greenhouse like a pro in 2025!
One thing we are committed to is providing you more value this school year through easily accessible resources. The one thing we KNOW to be true is we cannot create things you want unless we know what you want. Here is where you can ask us to create something for YOU!
That is right, something that works for YOU is exactly what we want to create. Send us an email to greenandgrowingedu@gmail.com and we will put your idea into a cue for the next set of resources!
Delegate to Elevate: Unlocking Your Potential with Others
During my first couple of years teaching I ate alone during lunch, I sat by myself at FFA events and felt alone singing “All by myself, Don't wanna be, All by myself anymore”
I was working myself to the bone trying to make all the things happen on my own. Why? Because that is how I thought it needed to be done.
How very naive of me!
I’ll be honest it took me a while to realize I didn’t have to feel this way. I didn’t have to feel alone in my classroom, as an advisor, and most specifically with all the tasks on my to-do list.
If you actually did all the work on an Ag Teacher’s plate by yourself I think it would be a 24 hour/7 days a week/365 days a year job with more work to do.
It doesn’t have to be this way if you implement one thing into your career. Asking for help.
But, you might be saying…
What do I even ask for?
What can I even ask for help?
What if people say no?
Those are very valid questions that we have crowdsourced the answers to. Because we get it, asking for help is an acquired taste that a lot of us overachievers hate more than the taste of Vegemite or Robitussin.
In this blog post, we’re sharing three tips that you can use as you start customizing your career by maximizing delegation.
Three Tips to Customizing Your Career by Maximizing Delegation
1️⃣ Just do it
People can say no, and that’s ok.
Make a list of tasks that you have to do. Then categorize them into “I MUST DO” (like purchase orders, field trip forms, or grading) and “THINGS OTHERS CAN DO” (like coaching teams, proofreading proficiencies, dinner reservations for nationals)
Then start asking!
You might find that some of these tasks can be done by your officer team! (ex. Sending thank you cards, making phone calls, managing social media accounts, writing emails)
And maybe even involving young alumni in college who can virtually help! (ex. Coaching CDE teams, judging CDE teams, proofreading applications, big event clean up/take down, recruitment presentations, young alumni guest speakers)
Help doesn’t have to be in person! (ex. CDE coaching/judging, guest speakers, monetary help, officer application judging)
2️⃣Pick your levels of involvement
While some things require more experience and authority, there are plenty of levels of involvement for delegating in the FFA world.
Here are some examples of differing levels of involvement for help!
Low: We all know that food gets kids to show up to everything! So use your local senior citizens at an old folks home to prepare food and beverages for FFA meetings!
We each have those end-of-the-year banquets that require set up and clean up, so get a group of parent supporters to bring their students early and stay after to help. Need a guest speaker who might not be nearby?
Guest speakers can show up to your classrooms “virtually” from anywhere through an online platform like Zoom! The sky is the limit on low-level delegation.
Medium: As you get closer to award application season, use your community and industry professionals or advisory council to proofread papers/award apps, have college students Zoom (for mentorship, or to train teams), in-person guest speakers to motivate your members, send letters for financial or physical sponsorship at a banquet or for an award/scholarship.
High: Don’t coach it yourself, let the expert do it! Have a community coach prepare your CDE or LDE teams. Have someone transport or drive your students to contests/road shows and chaperone overnight trips.
3️⃣Learn from it
When you ask for help and delegate to others it is truly a learning moment.
You might realize that it didn’t work out so well or it knocked your socks off. All of these outcomes from delegating tasks are opportunities for you to learn! That might mean learning how to do the task better or even learning how to delegate more effectively!
Here is the truth: Some people are better at certain things than you. You are not an expert in everything you need to do as an ag teacher. Good news, you don’t have to be!
When you decide to hand over some control to others you might just learn a thing or two from those people. This might look like delegating a CDE team to an expert coach, delegating a guest speaker to teach about a certain topic in your classroom, or delegating copy editing of applications to an English teacher or friend who LOVES writing.
In all of these scenarios, you are attached to the event or outcome of the delegation. You will be present at some CDE practices so you are learning alongside the students, you are listening as the guest speaker teaches your class and you get to review the copy edits of those pesky applications.
As you observe and reflect on those instances you are gaining knowledge in those areas that might have caused you problems in the past. And you will be better for it instead of avoiding that work or hating it the entire time you struggle through it.
It is also important to reflect on your delegation. You need to learn what is worth delegating and what isn’t.
One thing you need to keep in mind while delegating is you must teach the expectations to the people you are delegating to. Yes, that even means if you are delegating to an adult like an industry member, student teacher, or Alumni member. You might realize that some delegated tasks were almost too much work for you to delegate (like how hard it is to sub-plan when you are sick and you tend to just go to school anyway).
Take time to reflect upon those delegated tasks and ask yourself:
“Did this help lighten my load?”
“Did the work get done to a satisfactory level?”
“Would I do this again?”
If the answers are mostly yes then delegate again!
If the answers are mostly no then think about reworking your delegation strategy (maybe change who you delegate to or up your training/expectations for your helper) or decide to delete that activity (if possible)
At the end of the day if you don't know something yet or it is something that others could do just as well as you, delegate and learn!
4 Practical Things to do During Teacher Work Days
The Walmart Back to School shelves are becoming bare.
The good erasers have been gobbled up.
The class lists have been made.
School is back in session already, very shortly or in just a few weeks.
I’m going to be honest, I LOVE BACK TO SCHOOL. I absolutely love getting brand spanking new class supplies, having time in my classroom to organize, and getting to reconnect with my coworkers.
You just can’t bottle up that type of excitement and anticipation of what the new year will bring.
Sometimes, I have to admit that this can be a downfall for me. I get so jazzed on all the exciting, sparkly, fun things and forget about the practical, required things.
This year I am committing to setting myself up for success in the planning of Back to School and not just the fun things like decorating my classroom and relabeling the chromebooks.
I am committing to the practical tasks of prepping for the school year.
These tasks are things that will not only be good for the beginning of the school year but will help me out throughout the entire school year. Why?
September show season
National Convention in October
CDE season begins in November (if not earlier)
Community Service in December and the list goes on.
Don’t even get me started on the Janfebrumarch Month of the year!
If there are a few tasks I can front load that help lift the burden of those busy times throughout the year I am going to tackle them now! I asked the G&G team to collaborate on this topic so you get to hear from singleton teachers and multi-teacher departments as well as small and large chapters!
And if you haven’t heard us say this before, know that NOT ALL ADVICE will be beneficial for you. Our goal of this list is to give you some ideas to get you started and you can make your own customized Practical Tasks of Teacher Work Days that fit your classroom, chapter and career!
4 Practical Things to Do During Teacher Work Days
REQUESTS
What is the one thing we wish we had more of? TIME. There are only so many days where you get uninterrupted hours of work and most of those days are at the beginning of the year. Those glorious Teacher Work Days (that are hopefully not too marred with meetings). Here are some tasks that might save you time (and sanity) during the school year! ⬇️
Get things done early that can be done. Now, we get it. Not everything can be done early. We also know you might have some competition dates, convention dates and recurring chapter events that you need to get planned and administration approval. We are thinking of those pesky field trip requests, bus requests, sub requests and fundraising requests.
Take the time NOW to do those types of things so you aren’t rushing the week before to get all your ducks in a row.
SYSTEMS
We are firm believers that you are the captain of your culture (shout out to Germinate 2023 Keynote Speaker Ann Vote for teaching us this). But, to be a captain you must first chart your course. You need to know what the destination is and map how you wish to get there. This starts by determining your classroom systems, routines and expectations.
-Rules/Expectations
If you don’t have them, the kids won’t know how to follow you. I had a teacher once say that this creates “free and feral” classrooms. And, I’m going to bet you don’t want that. Now, we don’t have the exact formula that is going to work for you because the best rules and expectations are going to be unique to your kids. But, don’t fall into the trap of something you don’t need to prioritize.
-Computer Clean up
This truly is something I need a good kick in the butt to do. If you have a thousand screenshots, more takeaway downloads than you can count, and folders in disarray it is time to get those cleaned up. When you take time now to create some systems and organization your future self will be thanking you later this year!
-AET Clean up/out
AET is one of my favorite resources we have as ag teachers. I also know if you use it for the classroom and SAEs with your hundreds of kiddos, it can be messy fast. Take a moment to clean out old practice applications, chapter pictures and set up for 2024-25 resources. .
RELATIONSHIPS
Que that go to teacher quote from President Roosevelt, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
You might think it’s cliche or overused but it’s truly just human nature. And if we can harness some skills that allow us to connect and care for those kids in our classroom seats, we say go for it!
Here are some of our favorite ways to start building a classroom culture focused on relationships before the school year starts! ⬇️
Send cards home
An oldie but a goodie. If you have access to student addresses, sending some snail mail might be the ticket to help ease some nerves for that first day of school.
Classroom Vibe Curation
Ambiance is a thing. Providing a space that evokes feelings of calm and relaxation can help students feel safe and ready to learn. Now, I’m not saying your classroom needs to look like a yoga studio or spa. I am saying you can take some time before kids rush in on day one to have some vibes ready.
This can look like decluttering, adding some fluorescent light covers, getting some lamps, incorporating some plants, making a spotify playlist, maybe some twinkle lights, a candle warmer (if allowed), and anything else you think will add a calming environment to your little educational sanctuary.
Time with Co-workers (retreat/mini retreat)
Your co-workers are your support staff IMHO. While they might not be your secretary they can save the day on many occasions. From the “can you watch my class while I pee?” to “how are you managing those ninth graders this year?” Start the year off with some time to rekindle those co-worker relationships.
Something simple our department did in the past was go out to our favorite local restaurant the first day of teacher work days to debrief from our summer vacations. I was lucky enough to have a teaching partner and we also started “Food Fridays” where we got takeout (usually Chick-fil-A) on Fridays and reconnected after the craziness of the week.
Whatever you do, try not to take on this job alone. There are people who would love to help you and sometimes they are just a walk down the hall!
FUN
If you came to this blog just for fun activities for the first week of school, well we have some with a caveat. We know that fun is great on the first few days/week of school, but we also know that setting your kids up to be “entertained” every class period because of how you set up the first few days MIGHT be setting yourself up for failure.
Our best word of advice is to make sure that you are running your class during those first days and weeks very similarly to how you expect it to run in October and May. Which absolutely can include fun but will most likely also include your routines, habits and expectations.
The Numbers Game
Put numbers that mean something to you on the board (ex. Your age, the year you graduated from college etc.) on the board and have students guess the meaning.
CDE Stations
Give your students a preview of what career development events they can participate in by creating stations for them to test their skills!
Emoji Tattoos
Students choose emojis tattoos that represent them and put them on so they can show their personality to everyone.
Regardless of how you want to focus your time those first few days know that we have a team at G&G cheering you on. If you are looking for more specific help when it comes to starting the school year, even if it is more FFA related contact us and we will do our best to get you the resources you need to make this school year the best yet!
Don’t Copy What the Premier Chapter Does
In the sprawling landscape of FFA chapters and organizations, it’s easy to feel tempted to mirror the success stories of others, especially those named “Premier Chapters”.
I mean, if something works brilliantly for one chapter it will work perfectly for mine too, right?
But let’s take a step back. What does “Premier Chapter” even mean?
On the national level, it means recognizing the top chapters with innovative activities in each of the three divisions: growing leaders, building communities, and strengthening agriculture.
The top ten chapters in each division get a crystal glass table top National FFA Premier Chapter Award, and among those, one top premier chapter is chosen. Only 3-star chapters are eligible for these premier chapter awards.
Now, what about the chapters that don’t apply for this award? Does that mean they aren’t hitting these high notes? Maybe, maybe not.
Here’s the kicker: an award doesn’t determine your worth as an agriculture teacher or the success of your program.
Enter Nikki Fideldy-Doll. Nikki was a one-woman department in rural North Dakota, and if you know her, you know she’s a powerhouse of wild, awesome ideas! Take this one, for example: she got her students to design stickers for the local fire department. The students printed these stickers and sold them to the community, with profits going right back to the fire department. How cool is that?
Now, imagine implementing this idea in your own chapter. How would it pan out? Think about Jason Ferriera’s chapter with over 900 FFA members. The sheer number of sticker designs could be overwhelming. How would they even pick which designs to sell? And who would do the selling? And what if they don’t even have a relationship with that fire department or the fire department doesn’t need donations? That isn’t going to have the same results.
The point is, it’s not about the number of designs. It’s about the impact this event had on the fire department in her community. This chapter decided to find a need in THEIR community and find a solution to serve them.
Instead of chasing huge numbers or copying and pasting what you see on social media, try focusing on impact for YOUR audience (chapter members, community or the agriculture industry. The more successful chapter isn't the one with the most stickers, fruit sold; it's the one that makes an impact in their community.
Here is another example, let’s talk about Sarah Nerswick’s story—it’s short and sweet. They held a chapter telethon event with only 11 FFA members helping. Those members called and left messages of encouragement to every FFA member in the chapter.
While looking from outside of this event you might be thinking that the number of members might seem small and insignificant. It is more about the impact those 11 members provided the chapter that played a part in getting named a Premier Chapter for Growing Leaders at the national level. A 20-member community service event that shows the power of collaboration can surely be an impactful event. This isn’t about individual efforts but the strength of the group.
If you’re nodding along but wondering, “Cool, but we want to win a National Chapter award but need some good ideas for activities that work for our chapter”, we’ve got just the activity for you to try with your officer team.
Our friend Nikki whipped up this workshop in 2022 and it was a huge hit. This activity helps you brainstorm ideas that can make a big impact in your chapter and community—aka, a recipe for success!
Remember, the National Chapter award focuses on three divisions: growing leaders, strengthening agriculture, and building communities. Each division has quality standards for your chapter to focus on when designing an activity.
Nikki has broken down each standard into its own slide, so you can focus on one activity at a time. Each standard comes with a prompting idea, like a statistic or mystery item, to get those creative juices flowing.
For example, one group used rubber ducks as their mystery item and ended up planning a boat launch cleanup with a “duck pond prize” to incorporate the ducks! Creative, right?
We’ve found this activity works best with a small group for brainstorming. We aren’t saying you need to utilize balloons, rubber ducks or cowboy hats in your events. This is just a strategy to shake things up and get creative thinking outside the box.
Try it with your chapter officers and see what awesome ideas you come up with to help your chapter or community. We’ve provided two versions for you to try—your challenge is to actually incorporate one of these activities into your chapter’s Program of Activities (POA) this year!
Here’s the link to the activity slides!
One thing is clear: there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for success in chapters.
What works for one might not work for another—and that’s totally okay.
Instead of copying the premier chapters, let’s celebrate the uniqueness of our own chapters. By staying true to ourselves, focusing on impact over numbers, and rallying together as a community, we can carve out our own paths to success. So go ahead, you do you, boo boo!
Three R’s of Summer Break for Teachers
Welcome to summer ☀️ agriculture teachers!
While some of you may be in a great spot and are crossing the finish line with a lot of energy and excitement for what lies ahead, I also want to recognize that some of you aren’t feeling so great as you step into summer.
You might be feeling tired, worn out, and emotionally drained. Wherever you are on that spectrum, you did it.
Congratulations on finishing the school year!
As you enter into summer break, it can be easy to shut off until school starts in the fall, but what if there were a way to rest well while “getting your ducks in a row” for the next school year?
There is! This is your season of growth, renewal, and opportunity!
As the school year draws to a close and summer begins, it's time to shift gears, recharge, and prepare for the exciting journey ahead. Let’s explore three essential aspects for you to lean into this summer: rest, reflect, and get ready.
By embracing these elements, you can find the motivation and inspiration necessary to continue nurturing young minds and cultivating a thriving agricultural education community.
Three R’s of Summer Break for Teachers
1. Rest: Replenish Your Energy and Passion
After a demanding academic year, it's vital to prioritize self-care and recharge your batteries. Remember, you cannot pour from an empty cup. Embrace the beauty of this summer by taking time for yourself. Whether it's lounging in a hammock, exploring nature, or engaging in hobbies you love, allow yourself to unwind and rejuvenate.
Rest is not just about physical relaxation; it's about rekindling your passion. Take a step back from the daily routine, immerse yourself in the simplicity of life, and reconnect with who you are at your core.
Just the other day I was on a walk and I was pondering the concept of habit stacking. If you haven’t heard of it before, James Clear states: “habit stacking is a special form of an implementation intention. Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit.” This can include listening to a podcast while going on a walk.
Now, I do think this has its benefits, but don’t put yourself in a mindset where you always have to be doing a thousand things to get better.
There is value in unplugging and just going on a walk without the distraction. Like we say rest IS productive. Or it is also okay to just read a book for fun while laying on the couch. Whatever you decide to do to rest this summer- do what works best for YOU. It’s okay to unplug for a little while!
2. Reflect: Grow Through Introspection
As an agriculture teacher, reflection is a powerful tool for growth and improvement. Use this summer as an opportunity to reflect on your teaching practices, your successes, and areas that may need refinement. Consider the lessons learned from the past year, both in the classroom and beyond, and how they can shape your future endeavors.
This might include implementing introspective practices such as journaling, meditation, or simply sitting in quiet contemplation.
By reflecting on your experiences, you can gain valuable insights, discover innovative teaching methods, and set new goals for the upcoming year.
Remember, growth is a continuous journey, and taking the time to reflect will help you evolve as an educator and mentor.
3. Get Ready: Harness the Power of Professional Development
Preparing for the next academic year begins with investing in your professional development.
Seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge, network with fellow educators, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in agricultural education.
How can you do that?
Enroll in online courses
Attend conferences
Participate in workshops to sharpen your skills, learn innovative teaching strategies, and discover fresh perspectives.
Collaborate with other educators, share experiences, and foster a supportive community that will empower you throughout the year.
By investing in your professional development, you'll emerge from the summer break equipped with new tools and ideas to inspire your students and enhance their learning experience.
Green & Growing Education exists to offers a wide range of resources designed specifically for agriculture teachers like you.
One simple way you can build connections with other Ag teachers while intentionally preparing for the year ahead is by attending Germinate Conference.
This is a virtual conference created back in 2019 for Ag teachers so that you can immerse yourself in a virtual room with like-minded Ag teachers who are ready to encourage you and help you grow.
And feeling supported by other educators knowing that you aren’t alone in this career is what you want, right? If it is, be sure to register for Germinate today! If you still have questions, reach out to one of the team members and we can see if this conference is a good fit for you.
As an agriculture teacher, your dedication and passion are the driving forces behind the success of your students and the growth of your community.
This summer, prioritize rest, reflect on your journey, and get ready to embark on another transformative year in the classroom.
By embracing these three essential elements, you'll find the motivation, inspiration, and renewed energy to continue making a positive impact and shaping the future of agriculture.
Remember, this is your time to rejuvenate, learn, and grow. Embrace the summer's embrace the summer's opportunities, and lean into rest, reflection, and readiness. Your journey awaits!